![[Owen-1.png]] # **1. Summary of The Mortification of Sin** John Owen’s _The Mortification of Sin_ (1656) is one of the most enduring works in Puritan theology, drawn from his sermons on Romans 8:13: > “If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Owen argues that **true Christians must continually put sin to death**, not to earn salvation, but as the necessary outworking of the Spirit’s sanctifying power. ### **Major Themes** **1. The Necessity of Mortification** Sin is never static. It is always either **killing you**, or you are **killing it**. Owen insists that unmortified sin will darken the soul, weaken assurance, disturb peace, and grieve the Spirit. **2. Mortification Is a Work of the Spirit** Believers cannot kill sin by sheer willpower or asceticism. Only the **Holy Spirit** can truly weaken the root of sin. **3. Mortification Requires Daily, Conscious Effort** Owen rejects instant spirituality. Killing sin is a _lifetime practice_ requiring watchfulness, self-examination, Scripture meditation, and prayer. **4. Mortification Targets the Root, Not Just the Fruit** It is not enough to restrain sinful behaviors; the believer must attack the **desires**, **habits**, and **affections** that give birth to the behavior. **5. Faith Is the Core Weapon** Faith looks to Christ’s death as the power that breaks sin’s dominion. --- # **2. Short Review of the Book** ### **Strengths** - **Deeply Biblical** (especially Romans 8 and Galatians 5) - **Pastorally realistic** about the deceptive nature of sin - **Psychologically insightful** long before modern psychology - **Spirit-centered** rather than legalistic - **Practical and convicting**, emphasizing daily obedience ### **Weaknesses** - Owen’s 17th-century writing style can feel **dense and difficult** - The tone can seem **severe** to modern readers who prefer gentle self-help language - Some may feel that the focus on sin overshadows the joy of grace ### **Overall** This is one of the greatest works on sanctification ever written. It is intense, rich, and spiritually penetrating, but its depth rewards the patient reader. --- # **3. History of the Book & John Owen** ### **About John Owen (1616–1683)** Owen was: - A leading Puritan theologian - Chaplain to Oliver Cromwell - Vice-chancellor of Oxford University - A pastor deeply concerned with holiness and renewal Known as the “Prince of the Puritans,” Owen wrote exhaustively about sin, the Spirit, and the believer’s communion with God. ### **Context of the Book** _The Mortification of Sin_ was first published in **1656** during a time of: - Political turmoil after the English Civil War - Spiritual decline among professing Christians - Debates between antinomians (no law) and legalists (all law) Owen preached on Romans 8:13 to a group of Oxford students and faculty who were brilliant yet spiritually lax. This little book was written to expose self-deception and call them to serious, Spirit-filled holiness. --- # **4. Applications From the Book** ### **1. Examine Your Heart Daily** Modern believers are often distracted, not reflective. Owen calls us to inspect our desires, motivations, and affections—not just our outward actions. ### **2. Identify “Occasions of Sin”** Owen urges Christians to ask: - _When am I weakest?_ - _What patterns lead me to temptation?_ - _What excuses do I make?_ This is remarkably relevant in a digital world filled with constant temptations. ### **3. Depend on the Holy Spirit** No amount of productivity, self-discipline, or self-help strategies can kill sin. Mortification is **deeply relational**, not mechanical. ### **4. Use the Gospel as the Weapon Against Sin** Owen’s insight: **“Load your conscience with the guilt of the sin.”** Not to be crushed, but to see it as what Christ has died for—driving the soul to humility and repentance. ### **5. Replace Sin With Righteous Habits** Mortification is not just subtraction but **replacement**: - prayer instead of anxious rumination - gratitude instead of entitlement - service instead of selfishness --- # **5. Reflection: Mortification in the Life of a Modern Christian** ### **Is Owen’s teaching outdated?** Surprisingly, no. Our age is filled with what Owen calls **“secret lusts”**—but magnified by: - pornography - instant entertainment - quick anger online - political idolatry - self-centered spirituality Our temptations are more accessible, more constant, and more addictive than in Owen’s day. ### **Yet his core principle remains timeless:** > **Sin must be intentionally confronted—or it will rule the heart.** ### **Where Owen’s insights feel prophetic today** **1. Our culture denies the seriousness of sin** Sin becomes “mistakes,” “habits,” “preferences,” or “trauma responses.” Owen reminds us that sin is **spiritual rebellion** requiring divine help. **2. We often seek therapeutic solutions without spiritual transformation** Owen’s pastoral theology is deeply psychological but rooted in the Spirit’s power. **3. We want victory without vigilance** Owen says: > “Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.” > Our age prefers: > “Be comfortable, and hope everything will work out.” --- # **6. Is It Realistic for a Modern Christian to Mortify Sin?** **Yes—but only if we understand what Owen means.** He does _not_ mean: - instant perfection - never sinning again - white-knuckled asceticism Owen means: - gradual weakening of sin’s power - increased obedience - a growing hatred for sin - progress, not perfection - dependence on the Spirit, not self-reliance In that sense, mortification is not only realistic—it is **expected** of every Christian who walks in the Spirit. ### **What it looks like practically today** - replacing pornography with disciplined purity - choosing love over resentment in marriage - resisting envy fed by social media - rejecting consumerism and choosing generosity - battling depressive or anxious thoughts with Scripture and prayer (while still using counseling if needed) - confessing sin to trusted brothers and sisters in Christ - keeping one’s heart warm toward Christ Mortification is simply **spiritual training**, practiced in the presence of the Spirit, under the shadow of the cross. --- # **Conclusion** John Owen’s _The Mortification of Sin_ remains one of the most important works on Christian holiness. Its message is severe but gracious, difficult but freeing: > “Without the Spirit there can be no mortification; without mortification there can be no holiness; without holiness no man shall see the Lord.” Mortifying sin is not only realistic—it is the Spirit’s ongoing work in every believer who seeks to walk faithfully in this modern world. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EJsXc4B7t_4?si=sWavHEh5WQgsXrhG" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> --- Below is a clear, theologically grounded comparison between **John Owen’s teaching on mortification** and the approaches of **John Piper, Tim Keller, and D. A. Carson**. Each modern author draws heavily from Puritan theology—especially Owen—but with different emphases for a contemporary audience. --- # **1. Owen & John Piper** John Piper is the closest modern voice to Owen in tone and emphasis. Piper regularly quotes Owen and admits that _The Mortification of Sin_ shaped his theology of sanctification. ### **Key Agreements** ### **1. Seriousness of Sin** Both view sin as lethal, deceptive, and spiritually deadening. - **Owen:** “Sin always aims at the utmost.” - **Piper:** “Sin is what you do when you are not satisfied in God.” ### **2. Mortification Is a Fight of Faith** Both see sanctification as a fight that flows from joy in Christ. - **Owen:** Mortification is “by the Spirit.” - **Piper:** “Be killing sin by treasuring Christ above sin.” Where Owen stresses _Spirit-enabled effort_, Piper emphasizes _God-centered pleasure_. ### **3. Affections Are Central** Both insist the heart’s desires must be transformed—not just behavior. ### **Key Differences** ### **1. Tone and Approach** - **Owen:** Doctor of the soul; analytic, severe, introspective - **Piper:** Poet of the soul; emotional, joy-driven, doxological ### **2. Motivation** - **Owen:** Holiness flows from union with Christ and spiritual duty - **Piper:** Holiness flows from delight and Christian Hedonism (“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him”) **But Piper would say Owen is a Christian Hedonist—he just didn’t phrase it that way.** ### **Where Piper Modernizes Owen** - Talks more about emotional enjoyment of God - Speaks in the language of joy, desire, and delight rather than duty and discipline - Makes mortification feel worshipful rather than primarily combative --- # **2. Owen & Tim Keller** Tim Keller also draws from Puritan theology (especially Edwards and Owen), but applies it pastorally in the secular, therapeutic, and skeptical modern world. ### **Key Agreements** ### **1. Sin Is Idolatry** Keller’s entire framework of sin as “disordered love” is compatible with Owen’s teaching about the affections. ### **2. Mortification Is Gospel-Driven** Keller insists that only grace—not willpower—can break sin’s power. This is directly in line with Owen’s teaching that mortification is “the work of the Spirit in us.” ### **3. Root vs. Fruit** Both attack sin at the deepest level—its motivations, desires, and idols. ### **Key Differences** ### **1. Tone and Audience** - **Owen:** speaks to serious believers willing to do rigorous self-examination - **Keller:** speaks to skeptics, secular people, and modern Christians struggling with doubt, anxiety, and identity ### **2. Sin as Psychological Idolatry** Keller often frames sin in psychological terms: - identity formation - idols of control, comfort, approval, power Owen frames sin in theological terms: - indwelling corruption - remaining flesh - mortification of lusts ### **3. Motivation** - **Owen:** holiness is necessary for spiritual life and communion with God - **Keller:** holiness is liberation from false gods that promise too much and deliver too little ### **Where Keller Modernizes Owen** - Brings sin into modern categories like addiction, identity, and emotional wholeness - Emphasizes how the gospel heals not just guilt, but shame and fear - Makes mortification feel like _resting in grace_ rather than _fighting corruption_ --- # **3. Owen & D. A. Carson** Carson brings a scholarly, exegetical voice. He is not as pastoral as Keller or as devotional as Piper, but he aligns with Owen more than people realize. ### **Key Agreements** ### **1. Mortification as a Biblical Mandate** Carson strongly emphasizes obedience to Scripture: - “God is sovereign in salvation, but we are responsible in sanctification.” This echoes Owen’s “Spirit-driven effort.” ### **2. Sin Is Deceptive and Progressive** Carson’s exposition of Paul’s letters mirrors Owen’s view that sin, left unchecked, grows. ### **3. Union with Christ** Carson stresses that sanctification flows from union with Christ—the same foundation Owen uses. ### **Key Differences** ### **1. Tone and Genre** - **Owen:** experiential pastoral theology - **Carson:** academic exegesis and biblical theology ### **2. Psychological Insight** Carson does not delve into the nitty-gritty of the human heart like Owen or Keller. ### **3. Vocabulary** Carson rarely uses the word “mortification.” He speaks of: - obedience - transformation - putting off the old self - perseverance ### **Where Carson Modernizes Owen** - Makes the concepts more accessible through biblical exposition - Strips away some Puritan psychological introspection - Places mortification within the larger story of redemptive history --- # **Summary Table** |**Theme**|**John Owen**|**John Piper**|**Tim Keller**|**D. A. Carson**| |---|---|---|---|---| |**Tone**|Severe, analytical|Devotional, joyful|Pastoral, cultural|Scholarly, exegetical| |**Center**|Spirit-enabled mortification|Joy in Christ as power over sin|Idolatry of the heart|Biblical obedience & union with Christ| |**View of Sin**|Indwelling corruption|Failure to delight in God|Idolatry/identity issues|Rebellion, depravity| |**How Change Happens**|Kill sin through Spirit|Desire Christ more than sin|Replace idols with gospel identity|Put off old self, put on new| |**Primary Emphasis**|Spiritual methods of killing sin|Christian Hedonism|Gospel for the modern heart|Biblical-theological framework| --- # **Big Picture Comparison** - **Owen** gives the _theology and method_ of mortification - **Piper** gives the _affections and joy_ behind mortification - **Keller** gives the _pastoral and psychological insight_ to apply mortification - **Carson** gives the _exegetical backbone_ for mortification Together, these voices form a full picture of biblical sanctification. - [[Hope - A Devotional]] - [[The Spiritual Value of the Bible]] - [[The Historical Value of the Bible]] - [[A Citizen of Heaven]] - [[Philokalia]] - [[The Wesleyan Quadrilateral]] - [[Thinking God's Thoughts After Him]] - [[Understanding Spiritual Warfare--A Comprehensive Guide for Evangelical Christians]] - [[Visualizing Spiritual Warfare]] - [[John Calvin's view of the Bible]] - [[John MacArthur's View of the Bible]] - [[Home]] ◦ [[About]]